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Friday, April 4, 2014

Report: USAID Launched Fake Twitter Platform to Undermine Cuban Gov’t

From
Democracy Now for Friday, April 4th, 2014

Report: USAID Launched
Fake Twitter Platform to Undermine Cuban Gov’t

A new report reveals the United States oversaw the creation of a
fake social media network in Cuba in a bid to undermine the Cuban government.
The Associated Press reports the so-called Cuban Twitter project was built with
secret shell companies and financed through foreign banks. Called ZunZuneo,
Cuban slang for a hummingbird’s tweet, the network masqueraded as a
Twitter-like platform. But it was actually created by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), and its users were unaware their private
data was being gathered by U.S. contractors for potential political use. White
House Press Secretary Jay Carney denied the program was secret.

Jay Carney: "Suggestions that this was a covert program are
wrong. Congress funds democracy programming for Cuba to help empower Cubans to
access more information and to strengthen civil society. These appropriations
are public, unlike covert action. The money invested has been debated in
Congress. In addition, GAO

[Government Accountability Office] reviewed this program
in detail in 2013 and found that it was conducted in accordance with U.S. law
and under appropriate oversight controls."

Despite
Carney’s claims, top congressional Democrats have said they knew nothing about
the program. We’ll have more on the story later in the broadcast.